The fourth X79 board we have in the lab is from MSI in the form of the X79A-GD65(8D). This board features the third generation of their Military Class of hardware as well as what MSI calls true Gen 3 PCIe The X79A-GD65(8D) has a price tag under $300 which makes these represents the lowest priced board we have tested so far. Now the question is; does the X79A-GD65(8D) have the same level of quality and performance as its more expensive peers, or will we find out that the old maxim “you get what you pay for” is true. We will take a look at both the performance and the design choices behind the X79A-GD65 and let you know. We will kick things off with the design and features.
Conclusion – So far our impression of the MSI X79A-GD65(8D) is that MSI is looking to offer at cost effective product with a small feature set of their more powerful products. This puts in an awkward state where it feels unfinished when you are looking at it and comparing features. We hope that the performance makes up for some of this. For now take a look at our video coverage of this product. Discuss this in our Forum
